Friday, March 2, 2012

DBJ's 5 Thoughts on Game 64: Colorado

The Columbus Blue Jackets opened their brief two-game western road trip with a 2-0 win against the Colorado Avalanche last night at Pepsi Center.

1. NASH WAS ON THE ICE - Inexplicably, the CBJ chose to once again put mutinous captain Rick Nash on the active roster for the game. His presence in the locker room, combined with his 18:32 of ice time, further forestalled the inevitable rebuild that is facing the team as a result of this disastrous season.1a. NASH DIDN'T GET HURT - As best we know, Nash's trade value to the Blue Jackets was not diminished by his play last night.

2. THE ARMS OF MORPHEUS - I crashed somewhere during the second intermission and awoke with a weird infomercial for the University of Southern California's engineering school on the TV. Guess that 9PM start time did me in. Apologies for the incompleteness of this recap.

3. SHUTOUT! - Steve Mason stopped all 33 Avalanche shots, posting his first shutout of the season. That means I get to post one of my "Mase looks really cool in goal" photos:

4. KID WATCH - Cam Atkinson had 3 shots, was a +1 on the night and logged 12:57of ice time (with 1:16 on the power play). He showed some flashes of the skill that made him the leading scorer in the AHL. Ryan Johansen logged 8:14 time on ice with zeroes across the stat sheet.

5. I SAID STAY DOWN, BOY! - New Blue Jacket Jack Johnson pounded on Avs rookie Gabriel Landeskog (who has already scored upon the CBJ in his career), a move that surely will endear him to the Blue Jackets faithful:

NEXT UP: The Road to an Early Tee Time continues unabated on Friday night in Phoenix when the Blue Jackets face off against the Coyotes at 8PM EST.